This coming Sunday is Mother’s Day. I have not really contemplated the reality that many of us will celebrate this day without our mothers (at least in the physical sense). The truth is, I have been thinking about my mom quiet frequently. I am sad that she will miss my ordination. She was extremely happy when I was commissioned three years ago. I know that her spirit will be present as I am welcomed into the ordained body of my annual conference.

As I think about my mother through this time of celebration I reflect on this incredible notion of resurrection and how important it is to our spiritual lives. The idea of rebirth confirms a promise of hope that God so wondrously shared with humanity. It is a Divine promise that a person will never die; that they will never be forgotten. Their memory will live on. The body can still be considered dead, but not the legacy which is directly tied to the spirit.

I believe that my mother lives on. She continues to be a source of strength to me as I live my life in a way that honors her memory. I tell my children stories so that they might add to their own memories of my mom. As long as I continue to share my mother’s life with those whom I come into contact she is still very much alive and vital. She is constantly resurrected as life is reclaimed in the presence of death.

One of the many blessings that Jesus gave to us through his own death and resurrection was the concept that nothing ever dies. The energy of our loved ones burns with the brightest fire. Our gift of memory and the ability to preserve stories and fables of those whom we love is one of our greatest gifts. We are blessed with an incredible tapestry of resurrection that carries us through rough times and rejoices with us during the bad times.

I know that my mother is present with me if not in the physical sense for sure in spirit. I know that she is smiling with me as my family journeys through the process of ordination. Today I am very grateful for the gift of resurrection and how we truly never lose our loved ones. I take delight in the hope that springs from my soul with the Divine within me being at the head waters of my life. Praise be to God!